Bits of Memories and Longing
by Always in Trouble
Summary: It has been a while since her sacrifice and things have taken the wrong turn. Now they just have to find a way towards each other again. A bit of help from the others or will Robin and Maria figure their relationship without having Loveday and Robin's friends set them up? Robin and Maria think too much for their own good sometimes.
1. Chapter 1

He tripped.

He just tripped, that idiot. Robin cursed as the first and only step of the secret passage to her small yet comfy room had him stumbling across the floor and nearly ended up on top of the wide, white sheets. "_Great going Robin…_" He scolded himself quietly as he closed the small door behind him and looked around. There weren't many changes actually; the bed was still in the centre of the room, her small vanity table near the window, which revealed the same small meadow, where Maria had first seen the small white horse, the same creature that helped them find their way out of the First moon princess's secret sleeping chamber. However if one looked long enough he could feel the changes. Her room was not falling apart any more. The stars were back where they belonged, the ceiling of her room looked even more fascinating, the moon now a part of the scenery. It shone down proudly as if watching over her every night. The pale blue paint wasn't falling along with small chunks of plaster, the faint smell of stagnation was completely gone. The young man remembered with a small smile the one time he was sent to spy on her and had caught her trying to perfume her whole room. Sitting outside her window on one of the huge branches near her window, hidden behind the leaves, he had watched her the whole night. At first he thought that she was crazy, twirling around and frantically trying to do something with an object that was out of his sight. He had seated himself more comfortably to try and find out what exactly was her purpose by the movements. Late at night, her room was the only lighted one. He had thought that the little princess would be tired and would go to bed early every day. Every since she had sacrificed herself on that cliff no one dared to mess with her temper. Even her uncle had a weakness when she pulled the same exact face with the big brilliant green eyes and the small pout which seemed to make her even more cute than usual. How she does it, he does not know. The nights he spent on the tree were all in vain for she was just running around in circles in her room. Robin thought that she was a lost case until she threw one of her very first bottles of his favorite scent outside the window in anger. It had flown with such speed that he barely had time to move or his face would have had a huge bruise. Intrigued, Robin picked the container up only to have that divine aroma greet him.

He had almost fallen off of the tree.

The boy did not know why but he had kept the small object and had hidden it in his pig of a room as Loveday liked to call it. It was now kept in a small wooden box he had carved out of boredom one day and decided to work on it a bit more, in the end he had outdone himself with the ornaments: a moon with impeccable details was carved in the middle as small stars were around it and the cliff of the amphitheatre was under them. Keeping the bottle was not the smartest thing he could do but considering the fact that Maria was the one with headaches in the morning because of her unusual activities late at night his mind let him go with only a warning that time. Her murmurs of different odors suddenly made sense as he put the little pieces together:

The little princess was trying hard to find a way to get rid of the horrid smell of decay in her room that she had complaint about for days on end. "_She used all of her perfumes in the end…That governess of hers had to travel back to London to get her new bottles of that liquid. How on earth did she even think to use these?" _He thought as he walked carefully towards her vanity table, the rays of the moonlight allowing him to see the small bottles neatly placed next to one another. He picked up one that he saw had the fewest amount of the colorful water and removed the lid.

The smell of lilies and fresh cut grass made its way to his nostrils and his eyes shut slowly as if he was savoring the sensation. It was not an everyday occasion: her scent being so close to him. Even if he preferred Maria herself being so close to him and not this crippled bottle it soothed him and he put it down again, back to its rightful place. He liked the way she smelled if he had to be honest. Why admitting it so freely? Because if being cornered, he would never admit that the girl, sleeping peacefully on the bed behind him with her red and brown hair in perfect curls, the length reaching now down to her shoulder blades, could smell so wonderful. _"The day I admit that is the day I would her demon dog lick me." _He chuckled quietly as he looked her again. Her eyes shut, she was sleeping soundlessly, one arm tucked under her pillow and the other under her head. He discovered a very long time ago that she was beautiful when she wasn't screaming at him. Or hitting him with her little fists, her delicate hands balled as she took her anger on his chest while her green eyes burned with emotions. He smiled for the simple reason that the only one who could make her pout in such childish ways and laugh a moment later was him. Robin of course was a healthy boy, which meant that her figure did certainly not go unannounced. It had been a few months and her figure had changed. _"Certainly not in the wrong way tho…" _ His smirk was hard to be seen because of the lack of light but it does not take long to know why for. Maria, fed with the rubbish the town people called delicacies, at first was skeptical about the skills of Marmaduke. Even Zachariah the cat was a bit offended at first that someone did not trust his master but after a few strokes between the ears and some milk, the animal had taken a serious liking to the little witch as Robin liked to call her, following her around and even jumped on her right shoulder to lick her cheek. For a moment Robin wished he was a cat too. The De Noir's eyes scanned the room again, her trunk was nowhere to be seen, all of her clothes were neatly placed in the cupboard and the dress that Loveday picked out for her for the day was missing too. So he was here before her, he smirked with triumph. The last time they had nearly clashed because Robin had sat on the floor near the door and when some shadow is in your niece-in-law's room it didn't mean well. So Loveday had raised a book with the intention of hitting him but saw the boulder hat. With a smirk of her own, she wiggled her eyebrows at him and left without a word, leaving a red faced Robin and an unsuspecting Maria behind. _"I swear, this girl does not even know what is going on in her own room. Even the damn rabbit has seen me more than her."_ There was once a time Serena tried to jump for the window because apparently to a little fearless Moonacre rabbit a two story building was nothing. Maria had searched for her darling pet along with Wiggins and Wrolf trailing behind. Not finding her was a reason enough to be down so she called out to her beloved rabbit all day, not knowing that Robin had caught it and put it back in her room the moment it tried to jump. The rabbit licked him as if to say thank you and never tried to do that again, jumping happily to a tired Maria, who in turn smiled brightly and with relief with the thought that she wasn't looking where she should be in her room. The uninvited guest was beginning to think that every animal falls in love with her after a short period of time. It made him a bit jealous that she spent more time with games and them than maybe..trying to find him instead?

As he sat there with memories of her adventures he noticed that the sun was beginning to rise and slowly light up the whole room, making the sleeping girl even more beautiful. It was moments like these that he truly got to see her, Maria Merryweather in all her natural beauty. It made him hard to breathe every damn time and every damn time he would swear that he could hear his brain snicker at his thoughts; the very ones that would make him blush.

There was this one time…He could feel another furious blush coming as he remember that one time when she declared to Serena that it was too hot for her to sleep in her night gown and with the blankets so as everyone would have guessed she stripped down to her undergarments and pulled only one blanket to cover herself, soon falling asleep. Two hours later he had turned up again only to have witnessed one of the few sights he could (or would for that manner) never erase from his brain. Even in her sleep she had somehow convinced herself that it was so hot that she did not need a blanket. So when he stepped into her room he thought that his heart would be the death of him as he saw her sleeping contently over the blanket, one arm over her head and the other resting on her slim stomach, her pale skin and the moon light nearly forcing him to come closer. He had stumbled his way near her and his wide eyes averted themselves as he lightly lifted her up and tucked her again with the blanket. After making sure that he would not have a nose bleed, he smiled gently at her and kissed her forehead. The next thing he had to do, he told himself, was to leave because it was enough for his heart today. One of the hardest things he had to do tho..

Robin was observing her as she made her daily walks through the forest alone. The De Noir clan and the Merryweathers were once again at peace so no harm would be done to her if she wandered around. She was exploring on her own, he wondered if she even considered asking him to show her around. After the curse had been lifted he feared that he no longer was of need to the princess and that she would just forget about him in time so he worked even harder for his father, who in turn declared him the official hair and even when he was not needed he would participate during the hunts for meat or the search for herbs. In his free time during the day it was not hard to track her down, her scent was unique and his senses were sharp. She would wander around, always seeming to find her way back to the house or to a little pond in the northern part of the forest where she would lay down and talk to Wrolf, Wiggins and occasionally Zachariah the cat or read a book. He noticed that the books she read where growing bigger in size and soon he laughed as he watched her carry encyclopedias to learn about the different types of plants and trees. _"What kind of princess would I be if I don't even know what surrounds me?" _ She would often ask no one in particular as she scolded herself for forgetting the names of the flowers or small animals inhabiting the forest. One flower in particular, he noticed, she was fond of. Lilly of the valley was the name and it was very rare for it to be just found but Maria never lost hope and searched for it.

One day he gave up for his weakness and put a lily on her encyclopedia in the direction in which were many more. She had called out, pleading him to come out so she would thank him properly however he just hid even further with a hammering heart and a red face. His friends did not know this side of him, to them he was ruthless but fair, yet his legs would turn into jelly when seeing her smile and laugh. To this day he did not know why she had such an impact on him and never the less he did not care. He knew that no cure would heal him and he was content with just that. Her pleas continued for a week until she just left some cookies at the same spot where he left the lily. Robin should go and compliment Marmaduke for his exquisite skills. His hat however was something he cherished and looked out for on a regular basis. And on one fine day while jumping from one cliff his hat had fallen down and there was no way he could find it. His mood was sour all week, his curls that were usually under the hat were now free and Robin noticed that it was time to shorten them again so they would not get in his way while he was tracking or running. Finding it was a very interesting case in his opinion. While wandering around the boy found his beloved hat neatly placed on one of the lower branches of an old oak tree with the words: _If you lose it again I will keep it. It looks better on me than it does on you. _Scoffing, he took his hat and walked further into the forest. Marias' neat handwriting made the note itself pretty and he decided that keeping it with the perfume bottle she had thrown out was not such a bad idea. He would thank her one day, that was sure.

Robin walked past Serena's cage and another memory rose from within: taking a walk late at night, one of the few when the boy did not visit Maria in her room to calm down and get rid of his foul mood because Loveday had started making little notes for him and he would often find them around Marias neck for some reason or in Serena's cage. The De Noir boy was not satisfied because the notes were simply to tell him that Loveday had yet again stolen something of his and had hidden it in her room, the young man did not want to snoop around even if his curiosity was piling up with every visit. She would hide his notebook where he writes the reports to his father on Marias' bookshelf and he quickly found it along with information of what she liked to read. His knife would end up in Marias' vanity table, one of the feathers on his neck could be found in the section of Marias 'dresses. Taking a mental note of everything, he returned his items without saying a word to the smirking woman. Only warn her that in the end he would start looking around on his own without the need to find his own stuff and suddenly the disappearance of his things stopped abruptly. Robin kissed her forehead like he always did and walked out of her room. He wanted desperately to talk to her, to laugh with or at her, to feel her presence near him without feeling like a stalker. Many were the times that he wasted wondering if she wanted to see him again, to discuss important matters with his such as would Wrolf eat him if he got near her or would Marmaduke make them food for a picnic while they were out and wandering around the forest.

The sound of the secret passage closing behind him gave him the comfort that he did not wake her up even when being clumsy and he made his way out of the cave and towards the castle.

Maria's eyes shot open as she heard the passage close again. Her sleeping pattern has not changed for a long time therefore whenever her dear Loveday got in and left her dresses, she would still be undetected. Maria grumbled at that in a very unlady-like way she was sure Mrs. Heliotrope would scold her if she was here. Her room was filled with the first rays of the sun making it a cozy and quiet place only for her and no one else. Maria was at a loss of why Loveday still used the passage almost every night but she guessed that old habits die hard and got up to get dressed and eat before everyone else to go out and enjoy the beautiful summer day in the forest alone. Her hope of meeting Robin De Noir never faltered even after all this time apart from him. She still remembered his curly locks under that hat of his that she found lying around while searching for raspberries and the glimmer in her eyes was the only evidence that she still wanted him in her life and missed him dearly. The moon princess wandered every day with the hope of just stumbling into him but alas she ironically thought that it was too much to ask for. So she wandered and wandered, learning the nature around her at the same time. How she wanted to talk to him again but he had just walked away the same night the two clans gathered together to celebrate the peace and two engagements. Walked away from the mansion, from her. She was scared of the thought that she was no longer something special to him after saving his life and that the only gratitude she deserved was to stay away from him so he would do her no harm. His father Coeur De Noir did not know what was going on with his son and the young Maria but he was happy that his daughter was again with him and he would no longer kill for revenge, the banquets he gave generously were the fruit and he was happier than everyone around him had ever seen him. Her choice of dress, when Loveday could not beat her to it of course, was a black velvet dress with silver lining, the waist looking like a corset and the skirt flowy and loose as the silver lines made hard patterns where her chest was and disappearing further down the dress. She never liked make up but a perfume was a must so she picked her favorite one and continued to do her morning routine before quickly running down the stairs smiling at the portrait of the first Moon princess. Running down the hallways she laughed whole heartedly as she felt free as a bird, no more lies, no more grief.

The smell of the grass, the sweet aroma of flowers hit her as she entered the forest once more, unsuspecting the eyes of the De Noir boy, greeting her happily as he watched her carefully hidden in the shadows of the trees. Both hoped of a meeting in the future, hiding their desire for the company of the other.


	2. Chapter 2

His heart fluttered as her footsteps echoed through the forest. Marias dress picked up leaves as she went deeper and deeper between the trees as the chilly morning grazed her skin while the still clearing fog made the forest appear secluded and calmer, it was as if the wind was playing around with the both of them, twirling Marias' hair as well as messing up Robins. The moon princess breathed in deeply, the fresh air filling her lungs and her steps became more hesitant. Maria had her moments, Robin knew.

The way she closed her eyes to feel the wind on her face, the way she raised both her hands on her sides and slowly turned around to take in all that was the green around her, the branches of the trees as if waving at her as the first birds started to chirp. Her nose would wrinkle slightly, just a bit, in comparison to the relaxed expression she wore every time she slowly exhaled and stopped turning to regain her sense of balance. Her arms fell limp and she started to walk again, no fixed direction, just the usual walk around. This time tho Robin wanted to try something new and crushed a dry stick under his foot. The sound made Maria jump slightly, the princess was used to the quiet and serenity the forest provided and that stick as she guessed was not something that would startle her that much so she went on her way.

"Well…you really are stubborn." Robin murmured under his nose but with a smile as he followed her and along the way cracked almost everything that could crack under his feet: branches, shells, leaves he even threw some thorns on the side of the little track he knew she would walk on soon enough.

Maria however only picked up the thorns, murmured something about her being sloppy and placed them carefully on the side as not to step on them on her way back. Robin huffed but trailed along.

The soft hums that Maria made as she walked by seemed to wake up the creatures that lived nearby because as if on cue the animals woke up from their slumber and began to live another day all over again. She subconsciously matched the light songs of the birds and more particularly the Veery, those small little creatures that hid between the leaves and made their unique sound each time someone hears them. Maria liked listening to their sweet voice, the way they shyly jumped from one bough to another and she found herself confusing them many times for the Robin. The name always sidetracked her.

She giggled as her fingers brushed a raspberry bush and oh goodie, she had found her favorite breakfast. Picking up some fruit, she placed them neatly on a leaf and left it on a rock near the narrow path, some creature could enjoy the fruits as well. Robin smiled at her gesture, she didn't even need to see who it was, she just wanted to share everything she had with everyone who was willing to walk her way. He chuckled at the thought of him being the one that was going to eat the raspberries and she would pout but still pick more and put them at the same place. Robin knew it was kind of childish but with Maria he was not the hair of the De Noir clan, the ruthless leader of the highest of rank pack and the sarcastic master. No, he was just Robin, a young man with a love for the forest and his freedom; he could act as childish as he wanted around her she would not judge him. Or at least that was what he wanted to think, he had not talked to her for these past months and his foggy mind was confused of what to think. At one side he had not asked her of her opinion of him, but the other side shouted that he had no right to talk to her because he was not fast enough to stop her from falling from that cliff and if it had not been for the white sea horse she would be dead now. The mere thought petrified him. He had long gone lost hope for the valley and when she came he was more than skeptical but as the story unraveled itself he slowly improved his opinion of her. In all honesty he still found her heroic act of getting Serena out of the trap foolish. How naïve can one be to wander around the forest when there were ruffians, thugs and even worse? On top of that there was an obvious trap at the centre of the path. He had laughed ironically when she backed away scared, _"This is the Moon princess? The fearless girl? What a laugh this would be back at the castle…"_ he had thought. Yet in the end he was the one empty handed and Maria had a new pet and Wrolf got to scare someone away. Win for everyone but Robin. His thoughts led his eyes back to the woman, now a considerable distance away, and he hurried towards her, in the bushes of course.

"Serena would love these leaves for breakfast. Oh and these herbs! Loveday has been looking for them for a week now, I should pick some up and bring them for her and she might have trouble making something without these." Maria noticed that the path had led her to a small field that was covered in herbs and fallen leaves, a scenery that had a certain impact on an early summer morning, one could not resist the urge to lie in the grass and breathe in deeply and that just what Maria did once again and giggled like a little girl.

"My God, this feels wonderful!" She sighed content and that earned a chuckle from Robin in return as he sat and watched her. She was stroking the petals of a daisy gently and twirled it slightly between her fingers. "Mrs. Heliotrope would be in a state of shock right now. She would maybe faint but oh, well. It is not like I have many books to translate in french these days." She continued to talk to herself, amusing the bird boy even more. That was when he slipped.

He stumbled behind, falling on his behind and the noise made Maria alert. She sat up abruptly and looked carefully around herself. If it was an animal it would have just shown itself by now if it knew that its cover was blown however something told her that the source of the noise wanted to stay hidden. So she had little but no choice.

"Who are you? Can you please show yourself?" Her soft and collected voice was now directed to him and he knew that this time she would not just persist on finding who he was but also search for him. He shook his head and smiled, admitting this small defeat only this time.

"Are you sure you want to know who I am?" His deep voice called out in return. He knew that Maria did not like to have her questions answered with just the same, a question.

He watched as her delicate brows furrowed and she looked as if that was a pretty slow question on his behalf.

"Of course I want to know. You have been following me since I started my walk. You were the one who deliberately broke a branch. However I wanted to see if you would come out if I offered you some berries. How rude of you not to introduce yourself you know." She finished with half a smirk, half smile. He huffed behind his tree, still not ready to come out.

"You know, you are one interesting creature. Why do you think that there is no danger lurking in this so called beautiful mist little girl?"

"My word, I am not little! How dare you assume something without having my consent?! If you must know I am not a little girl. My name is Maria and I know that there is no danger."

He chuckled soundly this time and that earned him a surprised expression on her behalf. She was now sitting cross-legged in the middle of the field and the sun shone down on her just as proudly as the moon on her ceiling did. She truly was beautiful, it was hard for him not to go and be near her, to hold her, to talk to her. Instead he braced himself for the conversation and question she had. He knew her well enough to know that she had.

"How do you know Maria?"

"Because the clans are now at peace. Have you not heard of it? The De Noirs and the Merryweathers are now in a union and the forest is now more of a safe house than a scary place do you think not?"

He leaned on the base of the tree with a content smile. So, he thought, they shared the same connection with the forest.

"Do you think that stops me from jumping you right now?"

"If you wanted to, you could have done it by now. I suspect that you did not intend on being caught but I wanted to play along. Usually Wiggins, Wrolf and Zachariah are my companions but my morning walks are sacred. At times I feel a bit lonely so this is a surprise. I cannot tell if it is a pleasant one though."

"Well, I must say little lady, your vocabulary is vast and your manners are impeccable. " He tried to wiggle his way out; she had read him like an open book just now. Was she always this perspicacious or had he not been paying attention even when they were working together? Robin made an excuse fast, he was really confused sometimes. Girls were not his strong point but even when they were involved he managed to keep himself in check. But this girl. This girl drove him crazy.

Maria seemed unfazed by the compliment. She knew that he was trying to be suave but it was not working, at least not on her. Mrs. Heliotrope however would be proud of this stranger, or at least his vocabulary. He had irked her interest and now she wanted to know who he was. The voice was too deep to be a female and he was definitely not a grown up. But who?

"I have told you my name stranger. And yet you seem to keep your distance away. I am going to ask you this: Who are you?"

This question made his stomach twist and turn into a knot. Robin did not know what to do right now. To show himself and risk seeing her disappointment and a pathetic excuse and her turning her back on him or to stay hidden and burn inside with each and every passing second her green eyes searched for a glimpse of him and her sweet voice, a nail in his brain?

It was such a hard choice that he did not realize that it was taking him too long to answer. She had waited for him to answer about five minutes. She was not sure if he was even still there or he had left and abandoned her. She truly was getting lonely. Her…little hope of meeting Robin was fading with every route she took and ended up alone again. Was she so boring to him? Had he found a new toy and left her by herself? These thoughts had haunted her in her sleep, during the day, outside, alone or with family and friends. Marias' head was now hung low and her eyes were full of sorrow and bitterness from these thoughts. The only problem was that Robin was thinking just the same, observing her from his spot and both were too consumed in their own doubts to see that they were standing in the same positions for what felt like hours but were only fifteen minutes.

Maria was the first one to break the silence tho.

"So stranger. I will ask you one more time, the last time: Would you reveal yourself or stand behind one of the trees that serves you as a disguise?"

Robins' hands were sweating and his heart was again hammering against his chest. He swore that she could hear it but was too polite to say anything. _"Now or never Robin. And don't act so stuck up, that vocabulary does not suit a thug like you but a true lady like her. Act cool dude. And calm yourself before you hit yourself." _ He tightened his fists and loosened them again, trying desperately to get his feet to listen to him. Finally after a tough fight, they gave away and he got up. Maria heard the rustle and took that as a yes. She tensed up and straightened her posture, she surely hoped that it would not be someone who would judge her; she had enough judges back at her home, them she could handle, but not one more.

"Just do not get disappointed princess." While saying the last word he forced a smirk on his face as he got out and walked, casually he hoped, towards her.

Marias' eyes widened considerably while a strange sparkle had appeared in them.

"Robin." His name rolled off her tongue so naturally.

* * *

Loveday sighed as she and her fiancé Sir Benjamin were sitting in the dining room eating breakfast. It was quiet when Maria was not there to joke and laugh with them, the male side did not talk much but Mrs. Heliotrope made it even while chewing her husband Digweeds' ear off with sentimental things as the ash blond woman stared out of the window and into the forest.

A light caress at her arm snapped her from her light trance as she smiled upon seeing that the man who touched her was Sir Benjamin with his soft smile and gentle eyes. She did not believe that the man beside her was capable of caring so much but since she had moved in with him, it felt like heaven for them both.

"What is troubling you Love?"

She kissed his hand lightly and looked out the window again.

"I wonder… Maria and Robin are quite stubborn. Both think too much. No theory can explain love, no book can write it down and no tale can describe it." Sir Benjamin bit his lip, his fiancée was always right. Though he would never admit it, she was right, Maria and Robin were indeed thick headed and would not admit defeat.

He wondered how this would turn out, just as Loveday, he was curious and wanted to know.

"I am sure that they will eventually figure it out." He smiled again at her and gestured towards the food that was getting cold. "Let us continue to eat, Marmaduke would not be pleased to know that his efforts have gone to waste. We can even save some pudding for Maria later on." They both chuckled as they watched how Digweed was eying the pudding with hungry eyes, pretending that it was not as funny as it appeared.

* * *

"Robin." She whispered this time as he stood awkwardly in front of her. The daisy she can eventually picked was in her hands as she twirled it around nervously, avoiding his piercing hazel eyes. Oh god, had she missed him, she realized just now. It had been so long since he had talked to her, his voice had almost vanished from her head, she was trying for a week to keep it locked inside but was letting it slip and now this happens.

Was she dreaming?

Robin on the other hand was even more nervous. She would not look at him. Why? Was he not the one she had hoped for? The thought made him disappointed and put him down at the same time. She was so beautiful, how could he stand to be near her without trying to get close to her he did not know.

The bird boy quickly sat down in front of her, playing with the grass lazily. Silence was not what she had expected, far from that. He was finally near her and she just sat there.

"_Say something Maria. Say something. He is going to leave if you just stand there like a statue. And you do not even look him in the eyes. Come on, do not be a coward!" _ She began to scold herself more and more, furrowing her browns in the same pattern again and he wondered if she ever worried about wrinkles in such a young and tender age.

"So Maria, something I should know? Like your free spirit, just waltzing into the forest thinking that even a wild boar would eat berries from your hand?" He smirked up at her as her face reddened and she smacked him slightly on the shoulder, daisy still in her hand.

"I see that you have improved your stalker skills lately but you are no match for me Robin De Noir. And I would even give a wild boar the berries then let them spoil." She smiled with triumph as his smirk quickly turned into a childish pout as he half heartedly glared at her. They were talking for less than five minutes and already she could bring him down with her.

"Princess, you haven't even seen my stalker skills. If I wanted to show you something, I would have done it by now." While talking he moved his hand but Maria was too focused on his eyes, his face, his smile to see anything else. By the time he was finished she noticed that she was no longer holding her daisy but it was tucked behind her ear safely. She felt embarrassed as he laughed, his laugh was so smooth, so nice, it was like music to her ears and she felt herself melting to the sound of his voice.

If she melted just by his voice, she realized, what would happen if he continued to hang around her? What would he do? Would he leave again?

"…and so? Maria? Helloo, earth to Maria." His voice ripped her from her small world and she looked up into his eyes again.

No, she had lost. Completely lost in him. She had lost the battle before it had even begun.

Now the little girl had to find a way to stay floating as he seemed to be at ease.

"I am sorry Robin, could you repeat that?"

The one thing that would make Robin sleep happily tonight was the thought that she would be there also, with the daisy in her hair and the embarrassed look on her face when she was caught spacing out. They stood like that for a few moments before changing the topic, neither noticing the sun up high, the morning had passed.


	3. Chapter 3

Robin was having a wonderful time; every moment with Maria was bliss to him. Sitting on that field, they chatted half the day away as the girl excitedly told him about the wedding between Digweed and Mrs. Heliotrope. The bride had complained nonstop that she was too old for this in comparison to Digweed, who looked as if he was in his twenties again, filling the room with energy as he frantically searched either for his tie or for the rings. Loveday was the maid of honor and Maria was the bridesmaid. Even though nothing changed much, both were very happy for the woman, who was finally letting herself have some fun without judging the actions around her. Maria was going to blow her top if she ever heard another critic from that woman, yes she loved her nanny, but Maria sometimes wanted to go and hide from her so she would not even hear her voice. Not-lady-like was not something that bothered her as her time in Moonacre Valley grew. Her tone was not so bossy anymore, her posture was not so strict and her smile was shown more. Maria liked the way things were in the Valley and she would not have them any other way. Talking to Robin, she got to know how he was, how his friends were. His little "posy" as she jokingly told him was doing quite fine, having the time of their lives, traveling to the town, meeting new people as they were now no longer outlaws but heroes. The Curse was broken and a lot of things changed.

Robin told her about the hunts he took part in, mentioning to her that one time one of his friends got chased by a boar ironically. He had ran through half of the forest before the animal decided to call it a day and stop wasting its time on pray that would never stop running.

"Luke thought that his legs would just give up on him and his bum would take the damage. I swear, what idiot decides that it is okay to go and poke a sleeping boar?" She laughed, in her mind was the image of a whiny Luke with his hands on his behind, rubbing it as if his actions could ease the pain the tusks of the animal caused. "Besides," he mused,"he had it coming. You know Luke, always on the lookout for trouble. By the way he was asking how you are; he and the boys were wondering when are you coming to visit with Loveday again." He asked nonchalantly but his gaze was hopeful.

The visits were not a rare thing but he always made sure he was out and by the time he got back to the castle they were gone again. This time tho, he would be sure to give her a tour of the whole castle himself.

"Oh, what a lovely idea! It has been some time I agree. I will speak to Loveday when I get-"Maria stopped and looked around. It was not morning any more, she was not even sure that it was noon. She had missed breakfast; she had probably missed lunch too. If she missed supper it would mean she would bet scolded and this time not only by her nanny but by her uncle. Often she would miss breakfast and everyone wondered how she had so much energy. Robin looked up also. It was soon going to get dark and he would not rest if she was still in the forest. The mist was gone and the forest was very much alive, squirrels jumping from tree to tree, small butterflies and birds would sometimes fly close to them. He got up and stretched, he had taken his jacket off and was now only with a plain black T-shirt and his feather collar. Maria looked up at him, her eyes running down the muscles that tensed and reddened when his shirt rose a bit, not daring to look any further. The action went unannounced by Robin who just gave her a hand to get up with the intention of walking her back to the manor.

"Will you walk with me a bit more?" She asked casually and when seeing his nod gave him one of her little smiles that were contagious. They walked back the say way, this time tho Robin knelt and took some berries. Marias lips parted to form a small "o" as he contently ate. She smacked him slightly on the back of the head, the hat jumping up a little.

"Hey, ow! What gives princess?!"

"Don't eat all of them! What if some animal wanted them and you just took them under its nose?"

He looked at her neutrally as he stuffed the remaining fruit in his mouth, earning himself another whack.

"OW! Would you stop hitting me? The bush is over there!" He pointed like a small child next to himself and Maria scoffed.

"Oh please, in that case why don't you just pick some?"

"Because you picked them." He smirked at her blushing face, how cute.

"Don't you have hands? Pick some up yourself."

"Nah, too lazy." He got back up and they continued to walk back. It was unusual for Wrolf or Wiggins not to pop out of somewhere, they usually found her with ease and kept her company everywhere she went. But she would never complain right now, that was pretty much obvious. Moving along, they talked about the upcoming wedding of Sir Benjamin and Loveday.

"It is going to be at the end of summer, oh Robin I cannot simply wait!" She clapped excitedly with her hands, grinning as she avoided a thorn bush on their way. Robin sighed, that meant he was going to wear a suit wasn't it. He did not like suits, the ties and other things that came along, he felt as if they were chocking him and his neck was bare from the temporary loss of his favorite feather collar. Maria pouted; she probably thought that he would prefer his usual attire.

"Do you not want to wear a suit?"

"No, oh god no! I really hate those things…"

"Though luck, my friend, you are going to wear them. If not Loveday would still force you and you know: What Loveday wants, Loveday eventually gets."

They laughed at the thought. Loveday was an extraordinary woman, her ways were many and she would not stop at anything to get what she wanted, in the good way of course. However that did not mean that she did not like playing match maker.

"There was that time when she wanted me to meet some boy I never heard of. She said that he wanted to meet me and was interested in me."

Robin growled on the inside, he would remember that. Maria was a beautiful girl, if they haven't noticed her yet, they needed help for their eyes. She accompanied her uncle frequently when he went into town and that was how Loveday got to know that some fool liked the sight of her. The princess however was not so flattered to have held his attention by the look she had while talking. No boy was worth Maria, she was way out of their league anyway and besides…they would probably go missing if he heard that some kid even thought to take advantage of his princess. Even he did not deem himself worthy of her but never the less wanted to be around her all of the time. He instead grumbled as she watched his face carefully.

"So how was he?"

"Oh, I very much liked his brother more than him." She laughed at his shocked expression.

"He had an eight year old brother. The guy himself? A total imbecile, trying everything to impress me. He behaved awfully towards his brother, the poor boy ended up crying. I left him to go and play with his brother. In the end the child was happier to be with me than his sibling." He smirked, Maria's temper had not changed. Loveday however, he had to talk to her for something. Concerning the way she found princess a suitor.

"Poor guy tho. He just wanted to be suave." He said, no sympathy whatsoever. Maria smirked as they made their way out of the forest and were now slowly walking towards the huge manor, Perriwinkle eating peacefully outside, his eyes on the teenagers ans the horse slowly chewed the grass. Maria kissed the animal on her way and turned towards Robin to say goodbye but found him hiding behind her horse for some reason. He was glaring at something behind her, a defensive position and his eyes darting with caution.

Wrolf had come out to greet his dear friend and his tail was lazily on his left side as those piercing eyes were on Robin. They had bad memories, Wrolf and Robin. Of course, Wrolf stopped attacking him, but the bird boy was not taking any chances and preferred to stay away as far as possible. Why, Maria could not understand. Wrolf was more of a dog, wiggling his tail and sniffing everything that seemed new enough for him. Chasing Zachariah and licking himself was something normal for him, the small detail that he was actually a lion long forgotten.

"Oh come on Robin. It is just Wrolf. He is a sweetheart." To prove, she scratched him behind the ears and he purred.

"Yeah… A demon, cheeky, scary sweetheart." He shot back as he moved slowly closer to Maria. She giggled and tapped him on his hat as she made her way towards the door.

"I had a wonderful time Robin. I truly did." The door closed behind her, leaving a grinning Robin behind.

"Me too princess. Me too."

* * *

The Moon princess ran straight into the piano room where Loveday was again arranging flowers and putting them wherever she saw, the room looking more refreshing even when the new paint was still wet, the creamy color in contrast with the striking red petals. The place was truly more beautiful if they showed life inside it.

"Loveday, Loveday! Oh, Loveday!" She all but screamed at the woman with a huge smile on her face.

"_Why do I think that Robin has finally decided to make his entrance?" _ The mature woman smirked a bit but hid it almost instantly behind a radiant smile as Maria held both of her hands.

"Yes, child, what is it? You seem much happier than usual, I wonder why."

"Loveday can we go and visit the De Noir clan again? Please, it has been almost a month since we last went and I would like to see Luke and Jayme and Terrie and the others again. Please, can we?" Her excitement was clear and Loveday couldn't say no to that face and smile. She had to tell her fiancé too and ask him if he had something in mind the next few days. Loveday nodded, grinning as she saw Maria dash off to tell Mrs. Heliotrope the news and went to tell Benjamin as well. Making her way in, not bothering to knock, she went straight to the point.

"…She jumped up and down around? Are you sure we are talking about Maria here?" Benjamin looked up from the paperwork he was occupied with and looked with skepticism at his soon-to-be wife. Loveday gave him a half hearted glare as she walked towards him.

"Yes, who else. She wants us to go visit my father and I said yes. We could stay there for a few days and then be off to London to go shopping for my wedding dress, how does that sound?"

"Only the two of you? And right after you intend to leave?"

"Oh, please, no. You are coming too. You, my dear, still haven't experienced a dinner at the De Noirs. It will hit you so hard you won't even know it's coming."

"With you, everything hits."

A small book was directed towards him as Loveday exited the study room, trailing behind her was Sir Benjamin's laughter.

Digweed was informed and so were Marmaduke and Marias nanny.

One was a bit sad that he had to take a break from cooking and the other was secretly terrified of the food there for her ingestion was not something to be taken lightly.

Maria went to the stables to check up on Perriwinkle, Wrolf and Wiggins trailing behind. The cute little dog was going to miss his mistress but knew that she would be back so for the time being he would entertain himself with the black lions tail and chasing around Zachariah. The cat was not fond of that fact.

The Moon princess caressed her dear horses' head and hugged him from the side. She was the only one in the small room, the other horses watching her display of affection curiously.

"I would soon be back Perriwinkle. I have to go to London too, that vile city. I do not hate it..but I would never move back there. That place is now a distant memory and nothing more."

She tried to recall memories from London, the friends she could barely stand, the people who never seemed to catch her attention. It was such a blur in comparison to the colorful pictures that flashed in her mind, the infamous escape from the castle, her running like mad to get to the safety of her room. Serena, being the bait to lure Robin out so he could hear her out, the first one to drop his pride and listen to reason.

And then there was that jump from the cliff.

She would never change a thing even if she could. Things were falling back to place in her opinion and for some reason she was having a wonderful day. The reason was not unknown, Maria knew that much.

* * *

The cause of her happiness was at the same moment walking down the stone hallways of his fathers' castle to his room.

Robin was quick to return and went straight up to his room, not to be disturbed before supper.

Entering, he stumbled on one of his shirts lying on the floor.

His room really was the lair of a pig. But he was not doing anything to change that, the only clean thing he needed was the bed and he didn't even change the sheets. Robin dropped his shirt on a random pile which meant that it was dirty and sat on his bed.

On someone's hand.

Terrie was the smallest in the gang, and youngest if Robin had to be exact. Only fifteen years old, Terrie had a fiery temper and was the one who could make others laugh for no reason whatsoever, just being himself and his sense of humor was enough for the boys to take him in and make him feel a part of the small family that had formed over the years.

Also the habit of sleeping in Robins' bed, but that was something that Robin got used to after half a year. The boy was snuggled again, one arm under his pillow and the other under his head. His hair was a mess, his black strands sprayed on his pillow.

"TERRIE, UP, NOW!" Robin shouted close to his ear making the boy jump and sprint out of his room. Curses could be heard behind the door and fading as he walked down the hallway towards his own room. Robin chuckled as he went to write the daily report to his father and bring it to him while going down for dinner. While writing small thoughts would jump around making it hard for him to concentrate and by the time he had finished the only thing he would think about was her smile and the shine in her eyes, her fiery hair in almost perfect curls. How could someone be so…so…so beautiful?

His mind could not comprehend how he had lasted these months as Robin wanted to talk to her the moment they parted; he wanted her to be by his side as his feet took him to the castle. Her sweet voice was ringing inside the young De Noirs' mind and he got up to give his father the book he had been writing for about an hour. Closing the door, Robin imagined how Maria would react if she saw his room.

She would simply refuse to go in until he tidied it up which he was never going to do simply because he was too lazy. If he wanted her in his personal space he would have to work, Robin knew that. Just not tonight because his mood was too good to be ruined by the things he might find while cleaning up.

* * *

The moon shined through her window as Maria got ready for bed, petting Serena as she sat in front of her small vanity table. The day had been eventful and she enjoyed it very much. The rabbit snuggled in her arms and was fast asleep. The girl got up and put her in her little nest she had made herself and proceeded to make her bed. A smile was on her face as she looked outside, her green eyes scanning briefly the small garden and the part of the forest that was visible. Only a few hours ago, she was there with Robin. The fact made her heart flutter again while she lay in bed, sleep taking over her as well.

"Hopefully, tomorrow will be as wonderful as today was." She whispered to no one in particular. The last thing her eyes saw was the twinkle of the stars on her ceiling.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys. I am so sorry for not posting for such a long time, I had some things I had to deal with and they were not up to me so I was just pissed off to know that even when trying, I have to wait a lot for the changes to kick in, but I am back now and with a longer chapter to excuse myself. . **

* * *

There was something that irked him. Just really annoyed him. Robin slowly opened his eyes and his pupils shrunk while he tried to do something to get rid of the thing that bothered him. Sunlight. The boy got up and started to dress himself, half asleep. Dust started to move in the air around him, the sunlight rays showing glimpses for the little display.

"Robin! Duuude, out! Come on, we're waiting for you…" He heard his friend's voices behind the door and groaned. The world was as good as dead to him, why couldn't it just shut down, he thought. For only a little bit so he could sleep, he whined as his bowler hat was now over his brown curls again and his usual appearance was on display. Again, a groan. Maria would've laughed if she ever saw him like that.

It had been a week since they last saw each other.

His father and friends kept him occupied the whole week with chores and responsibilities. He was often the one, chosen from the chaotic De Noir clan to go in the village and solve the problems they faced. There was the time when the women were assaulted by some gang, Robin had to track them into the forest and throw them into the family dungeons, while being there, the boy passed Maria's cell…and was distracted the whole day. Then there were the drunken men that started to appear frequently in the town's pub; that mess needed to be sorted out as well. His head started to ache when he thought about what chores they had prepared for him today.

"How many times…how many freaking times must I tell you not to disturb me while I sleep dammit?!" He cursed at his friends the second he opened the door and the only response he got were the grins on their faces. Terrie was the one who had knocked constantly on his door and even continued to knock, the reason unknown to Robin. He stared at the black haired boy as his fist continued to hit the wood.

"What…are you doing Terrie?" The De Noir asked with a passive expression as the others behind the teen were failing miserably at containing their laughter.

"Tryin'a wake you up duuh. Come on, I'm starving, we haven't eaten since last night-" Luke hit him on the shoulder and he frowned at his lie. "Alright, I haven't eaten for an hour so hurry up and let's go."

Terrie turned around and headed towards the stairs that lead to the dining hall. Robin followed him casually, sleepy expression clear and the sloppy posture was on full force, making him look like all he wanted to do was to go back and sleep for a couple more hours. Not that far from the truth but he doubted that his group would let him, much less care that he wanted to sleep.

His pack had such contrasting characters in it that people don't usually take them seriously.

His eyes trailed towards Terrie who was running down the stairs, not caring at all whether he would trip and break something of his.

That boy was the youngest and wildest of the group. Raven hair and dark brown eyes, the teen was the one who brought something more to the pensive atmosphere the others usually surrounded themselves with. Not that they did it deliberately of course, it just turned out to be that way. His character was easy to read, he was the happy go lucky but he was no fool.

Robin turned his head to see if the other two boys were following them and saw that Jayme was trying to get a knife out of Luke's hands, both talking very quietly but he could still see the lightning that passed between them. Finally Jayme managed to take away the knife and twirl it on his finger.

Jayme. The only boy Robin knew less about than the others.

Jayme was a bit more stout and taller than all of them but not by much, he resembled Luke in one way. Both had light brown hair that was straight but cut short, it didn't even reach their ears. He was always wearing a dark brown jacket and had the same feather collar as Robin. The collar was actually very important, it indicated the rank. He was second in command after Robin. His black boots were always dusty and he rarely spoke a few words on his own. Robin just thought that he didn't like to talk that much but was glad he chose him; the eighteen year old was reasonable and never went out of his way to harm someone. Exactly the opposite of Luke.

His eyes traveled to the seething said teen and Robin looked at him with annoyance.

If Terrie was the child, Luke was the baby. Always in trouble, always trying to seduce the girls from the clan with his dark blue eyes and looks, there wasn't a father in the town or castle whose daughters weren't meddled with. Too immature for his age, nobody took him too seriously but when it came to hunting he was one of the best. Tracking skills brought him to the clan and he was a valuable asset not just as a member but sometimes as a friend. Not just anybody could see his serious side unfortunately.

"Shorty over here wanted to see if he could play darts using Terrie later." Jayme explained when Robin's brow was raised in their direction.

"HELL NO, I AIN'T PLAYING WITH THAT BI-" Jayme threw the knife in Terrie's direction as they reached the hall and it went past his neck and hit the wall, falling with a thud on the rocky floor. Everybody turned towards the taller boy who remained unmoved.

"Watch your tongue young man."

Yes, Robin had made the right choice.

They sat on the table, eating peacefully and talking amongst each other. His father had informed him that the report satisfied him and he had no intention of giving him assignments for the following day. The young De Noir was also informed that the Merryweathers were coming for dinner with was received with a large grin. Now Robin had a chance to show her the castle not a as a prisoner for once but a guest. Yes, a guest who has been here many times since the Valley was saved but still. Details were not important in this case.

Coeur De Noir was also in a good mood, seeing his son finally react to what he was saying. Apparently Maria Merryweather was needed here more often, he thought with a small chuckle and started barking orders around the minute he was finished eating. His father, Robin thought, wouldn't change that much for a few months.

* * *

Maria was ecstatic to go and finally see Robin after a week. She had limited time to be with him before Loveday would take her to London and wanted to make the most of it. She threw in all the dresses she thought she looked nice in and packed her other necessities while waiting Digweed to prepare the carriage for them. Uncle Benjamin was mumbling under his nose for the short notice but who cared about that? Loveday certainly didn't because the excitement was too much for her to care. Mrs. Heliotrope however was packing mostly medicine. God knows what they put in their soups, she declared to the two women that were standing near her, waiting for her to get in the carriage so they could finally leave. Tough task but they were finally on the road and just fifteen minutes later they were in front of the gates of the castle, the De Noirs in front, lined to meet them.

The first to come out was Loveday who threw herself in the arms of her father, the leader of the De Noir clan in return laughed and hugged her tightly. Robin smiled at his sister and received a hug himself. Next was Sir Benjamin who shook both of their hands and gave them both a small smile in greeting. Mrs. Heliotrope helped Maria to get out and the atmosphere suddenly became lighter and the mood was lifted even more once she brightly smiled at everyone and all of them couldn't help but smile back at her. Jayme, Luke and Terrie ran towards her to hug her and raised her in the air.

"Let's celebrate princess!"

"Hooray for the Moon princess who saved us!"

"Hello Maria." Jayme smiled up at her and she laughed. The three boys gently placed her down and started to talk to her about all sorts of things, how the village was doing, how their training was, who won last night's drinking contest.

"Boys, you shouldn't be even drinking!" She scolded them half heartedly and Jayme raised his hands a little to show that he was not a part of the activity that got them wasted the previous night. However, he was to blame for the mustache on Luke's face. That's why everyone had laughed at him while seeing him the morning after and Luke was so mad he even threw a few knifes at Jayme, who just walked away ignoring the whooshes that were heard and the knifes going just above his head and one that was very close to hitting his jugular. Luke wouldn't dare hit him in reality. He was his friend but would be dead before he even tried. Nobody knew what their whole relationship was, it was a bit blurry.

"Don't tell me that you have never tasted alcohol in your life?" Luke asked her surprised and when Maria nodded he frowned in confusion. She didn't drink? Then what did she do the whole day?

"She has this thing you see, it is called a brain. You should try using it as she does Luke." Robin's voice was a bit bored but everyone could see the sarcasm behind it and Maria's eyes darted towards him, a blush creeping its way from her cheeks down to her neck.

"For heaven's sake boys! Don't you have a tutor? I would be glad to tutor you along with my dear Maria!" And then Mrs. Heliotrope announced her presence behind the group, making all the boys jump and look at her startled. No way in flaming hell were they going to endure her torture called teaching everyday even if they had to sit next to Maria. They even wondered how she managed to cope with the so called teaching. No, they were certainly not going to translate poems and history books in french.

Everyone went in, away from the radiating sun and into the pleasantly chilly castle. Robin and Maria had stayed as far from them as possible so they could talk in peace, the boys arguing with Maria's caretaker about their education.

"So… a brain huh? How many hours have you slept in the past few days?" Maria joked but soon the bags under his eyes told her that her joke wasn't far from the truth. Robin smiled a bit tiredly, his eyes meeting hers halfway.

"A few. Barely." She gasped quietly Robin immediately regretted telling her the truth because of the worry in her eyes. They sat at the grand table in the hall and discussed how things were in the clans while the others were off, doing their work. The boys and Maria excused themselves so they could walk around the town during the day.

Getting in the carriage once again Maria felt happy to finally sit with the boys and have a talk like normal teens did their age, laugh and joke, tease and bicker.

The streets were crowded with people, street merchants who wanted to sell their products and children playing around in the hay near the barns were the animals were kept. Many people greeted the group, some even kissed the princess's hand which made her uncomfortable but grateful for the gesture none the less.

"The princess is here, oh what an honor milady!" Some people shouted and most heads turned towards them as Maria shyly waved at them and smiled. The people cheered and the mood was lifted once more. Robin was still amazed how she could do that even without knowing it. She was the princess but not the title was what made the people smile, not the fact that she saved them because of her duty towards them. No, it was just the opposite.

They walked down the busy streets, watching people shout over one another and bargain for the food on the wooden tables or the cloths that were draped lazily across. The market was on both sides of the streets and the crowd was growing more and more but still had space to move freely.

As they were talking and laughing peacefully they saw a mother with two children yelling at a big man who in return was smirking at her. The tired looking woman held her two children in both hands and was arguing with the street merchant about something. The boys didn't see it but it did not go unannounced by Maria who started to walk closer to them so she could hear.

"Please, you don't understand! That was the last of my money, I can't give you more! Can't you see that my children are hungry?" The tired woman's face was sad and she was close to tears but the man was unaffected.

"No money, no food. I'm sorry but it is what it is honey." He started to stack radishes on the left side of the table and completely ignored the pleas of the woman. Maria couldn't take it anymore. She walked up to them and asked the woman what she needed. The mother did not recognize the princess immediately so hurriedly explained that she needed to get food for dinner to feed her kinds since her husband was sick and she had only left because she needed to cook the supper, the money they made was so little, they could barely survive at the end of the month.

"Leave her be girl. She doesn't have money; every time she comes here she can barely pay me." The guy told her with his back towards her. Maria remained passive as she parted her lips.

"One sack of potatoes, radishes, that small bag full of walnuts and could you be so kind as to give the lady that bag of flour and help her carry those to her home please?" She said in a calm and soothing voice and when the merchant turned he was shocked to see the Moon princess handing him a small bag of coins for her purchases. He gulped but relaxed when she smiled thankfully at him and nodded. The money was taken but the mother was shocked. Who was that girl?

"No please, don't do this! I can never repay you the money you just spent for me, believe me!" She tried to reason with Maria but all Maria did was to pat the little boy and girl's heads softly.

"I would never ask such a thing." While the man was talking to the woman about the flour, the princess unclasped one of her ruby earrings and slipped it in the unsuspecting mother's bag. It was not much but it was enough to be exchanged for large sum of money that could be of use to their family. Walking away just as casually as she came, the princess returned to the group of males who were fighting about who could shoot an arrow more accurately. The day went on but they continued their walk, laughing happily and teasing each other. The day was slowly becoming even more interesting.

A moment after Maria's laugher died down, she felt a sudden knock and a little boy appeared in front of her, crying and clutching a rabbit doll in his hands.

"Hide me!" He pleaded and hid behind her for a moment later a small older woman ran past her, cursing the same boy that was hidden behind her. Maria knelt down and examined the boy after tugging him gently towards a stack of hay where they were hidden from half the market. His cheek was bleeding and his shiny green eyes were full of tears, the rabbit doll was still pressed tightly against the sobbing little child. She tried to calm him down as she gently pressed her pearl white handkerchief against his bruised cheek.

"What happened little one?" She asked him slowly and the boy was started how nice someone was to him. His little hands weren't so tense anymore and he threw himself at her and hugged her tight.

"T-That old lady was mean. S-S-She beat me and this time it was bad. I-I work in a barn, you see?"He pointed behind him at the horses that were eating peacefully the hay.

"Why do you work here? You are barely six years old. Where are your parents?"

"I-I don't have those. Sissy said they died in a fire and sent me here to learn how to take care of horses while she w-works at the bakery." The child said a little more calmly and looked up at her with those big emerald eyes that made Maria's heart swell. The child was so small and yet, he had to learn how to communicate with people five times his age. Who could take him seriously? Who would beat him up so badly for his mistakes? What kind of a monster harms little children?

"Is your sister a good person? Did she want to send you here?" That was all Maria wanted to know to make a decision of what to do. The sun was shining through the cracks of the wooden shack while the noise from the people was behind them and the boy would wiggle his hands around while answering, the doll trailing his hand in the air.

"She is the best. She made me this doll. Sissy said that it broke her heart to see me working and would do anything to provide for us. We are orphans. I don't know what that means tho. " He said and Maria's heart broke a little. She was well off; the poorness she suffered in London would be something that the people here would consider a very large wealth. She knew how hard it was without parents but the fact that with no money, they were like shadows until they got their money at the end of the week, it was not something she would turn her back on.

Without even having second thoughts, she unclasped the second earring and placed it in the small child's hand.

"What is your name little one?"

"Henry."

"Well, Henry. Take this to your sister and say that you found it somewhere okay? Don't take no for an answer and don't say that it has something to do with me. Your sister would know what to do with it. Quit working here, you hear me?" She asked softly and he nodded eagerly, his eyes looking curiously at the big red stone. "Do not ever let someone else hurt you like this okay? Protect your sister; you will become a very nice young man. Goodbye Henry and say hello to your sister from me." She smiled and hugged the boy once more before getting up and waving at him. The little Henry's face lit up and he ran towards the end of the market where the bakery was. The young woman there was smiling when he saw him and touched the bruise on his cheek. They talked for a few minutes and the woman hugged him tightly and laughed while kissing his cheeks with tears in her eyes.

"Maria! Maria, where are you?" Terrie shouted and she hurried back to them.

"Where were you?" asked Robin carefully as he eyed her and she shrugged.

"Went to pet the horses." She pointed towards the shack she was just a moment ago in and Jayme, Luke and Terrie raised their shoulders as if agreeing that it seemed fair. Robin however…

At the very end of the market they saw a circle and the crowd was screaming while two women were fighting and a young man was smirking between them.

"YOU DID IT!"

"NO YOU, YOU LITTLE THIEF!"

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A THIEF, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO STOLE HIM AWAY FROM ME!"

The two young women were shouting at the top of their lungs while hitting each other on the shoulder, the man doing nothing to stop them. Robin raised both his hands to stop his friends from walking further as the voices got louder but that did not stop Maria from walking between the people and getting a first class view.

"YOU LITTLE WHORE! HOW DARE YOU!"

"HE IS MINE! OR AT LEAST HE WAS AND IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"What is going on around here?" She asked an elderly lady who was standing on her left side while watching the fight with concerned eyes.

"The man was caught cheating on his wife with another woman…by his wife." She shook her head but did nothing to stop the quarrel.

"Enough." She said calmly, breaking the fight between the ladies. "Stop fighting over some piece of trash who doesn't respect you both." The girls gaped at Maria and turned their heads towards the cause of the fight, not sure of what to do.

"Who are you to tell them what to do eh?" The cheating husband looked pissed off because of the disturbance. If they were fighting for him, that meant he was good and maybe other girls could see him as a possible fling but this girl here had to butt in her nose. Clearly, he did not know of the Moon princess.

Instead of talking back to him, the princess turned towards the two confused women and smiled warmly.

"Listen, ladies. If the man cheated on you," she turned to the first one that was shouting accusations, "he does not deserve you. Leaving you hanging and not respecting you enough it was his choice to sleep around. Did you know he was married?" She turned towards the other and the young lady shook her head to say no. "Did he promise you something in return?"

"Marriage." The answer brought tears to the wife. Maria's eyes hardened.

"I do not think that we should waste our time any more. Both of you were deceived and the person who is to blame is the smirking man himself over there. I take it that you both have families who are respected in this town am I correct?" They both nodded, ashamed. The clothes they were wearing showed that they were wealthier than most of the people but that did not give them an excuse to behave this way and the women remembered all the lessons they were taught about proper manners.

"Then it is settled. I believe that this fight is done, do you not?" Her charming smile was contagious and the ladies smiled at her in gratitude. They started to disperse, the cheated girls talking to one another and the crowd that was nodding its head in approval. If the fight had continued the whole town would be split amongst the two family businesses and it would be even more uneasy as it was before.

"You little sloppy girl! Who do you think you are?!" The said Casanova however was not done. He ran up to the princess to seek revenge but just as he was about to grab her hand, a knife was pressed against his neck and the crowd was dead silent once more.

"Don't you ever dear touch her you I will make sure nobody would ever see you again." Robin's voice was loud and clear.

"You made a mistake messing with Robin De Noir." The people around him started to whisper to the so called lover and he paled. That was Robin De Noir? The famous heir that everyone respected and was famous for being just as ruthless as his father yet a fair leader of the pack?

"First of all, I am certainly not sloppy, excuse you. Second of all...I am Maria Merryweather, the last Moon Princess, who" she took the dagger from Robin's hand and he smirked, trying to contain his laugher as she pressed the blade to his jugular, "saved your pathetic life. Expect your punishment for messing with the peace of this town and meddling with two fine young ladies. Apologies are in order of course. I leave you to the mercy of the people who you've disgraced over your stay here." After making an emphasis on the word stay, Maria returned the dagger back to her Robin and the little group disappeared as fast as they arrived. It seemed as though a lot of people were affected by scene caused by the man because as soon as they left a few people grabbed him by the collar and pushed him to walk in front of them towards the town's prison.

What a day, Maria thought as she continued to browse through the different little tables and lifting a few cloths from time to time to examine the color or texture. She did not find anything she liked particularly but a rough hand passed a few coins to the man that was selling scarves.

"The white silk one please."Robin smiled down at her as he took the long pure white material and Maria lifted her hear so he could put it around her neck, his hands staying there longer than expected.

The princess smiled up at him and her sparkling eyes once again had him locked in place.

"Thank you Robin, it's beautiful. I very much like it."

"I like it on you too." He smirked and the boys wooed behind him, making him blush a bit, unnoticed by anyone thankfully.


End file.
